Dr. Best is a nutrition scientist and registered dietitian who is formally trained in clinical nutrition, public health, and laboratory techniques for human nutrition research. Her research group studies nutritional influences on kidney and bone health, and she teaches in the Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics programs. She is currently the Dennis M. Bier Early Career Editor of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Best Lab focuses on advancing kidney and bone health through nutrition. Dr. Best has expertise in human nutrition research methods ranging from epidemiology and clinical research to laboratory techniques in mass spectrometry. For several years, Dr. Best has been studying vitamin D disposition in humans. This work includes kinetic studies of stable isotope-labeled vitamin D compounds in individuals with altered vitamin D metabolism (such as during pregnancy and chronic kidney disease). Ongoing work includes studies of clinical and genetic factors that influence the response to vitamin D supplementation in a large clinical trial nested in a nationwide cohort. Best Lab also studies the metabolic effects and efficacy of nutrition interventions for kidney disease patients and healthy aging. The Lab is currently testing the effects of therapeutic diets on markers of musculoskeletal health and metabolic outcomes in older adults.

PubMed

• Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Washington School of Medicine
• Ph.D. in Nutrition, Cornell University
• Dietetic Internship, Cornell University and University of Rochester Medical Center
• M.H.S. in Human Nutrition, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Undergraduate

• Nutrition and Disease 2

Graduate

• Proteins and Amino Acids in Human Nutrition

• Dennis M. Bier, MD, Early Career Editor Award, American Society for Nutrition (2023)
• Trainee of the Year, University of Washington Diabetes Institute at South Lake Union (2021)
• Young Investigator Award, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (2020)
• Jessie C. Obert Memorial Scholarship, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation (2018)
• Poster Competition Winner, Cornell Nutrition Graduate Students Annual Symposium (2018)
• Emerging Leader Award, American Society for Nutrition (2017)
• Elected Member, Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society (2007)
• Excellence in Internship Award, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2007)
• Academic Achievement Award, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (2007)
• Jesse Wrench Memorial Scholarship, University of Missouri-Columbia (2003)

Best Lab’s focus is nutrition for kidney and bone health, with special emphasis on vitamin D and mineral metabolism. The Lab studies the metabolic effects and efficacy of nutrition interventions for kidney disease patients and healthy aging. Best Lab also investigates vitamin D metabolism. The Lab members conduct human subjects research. In the wet lab, they employ chemistry techniques for the study of nutritional biomarkers and metabolism in humans. Graduate student trainees also develop competencies in clinical research coordination and quantitative data analysis. Best Lab welcomes collaborations and is interested in contributing to multidisciplinary research to elevate nutrition in patient care at UF Health and beyond.